4 ms·

I really don't understand the obsession with Trump (from both sides). It's not like he is a pivotal make it or break it for the Western world. He'll be gone in

I really don't understand the obsession with Trump (from both sides). It's not like he is a pivotal make it or break it for the Western world. He'll be gone in 4 or 5 years max and can only do so much damage (or good depending on how you look at it). He hasn't ended the world nor saved the world in the time he has held the office. Not that much has really changed fundamentally. There are more powerful forces for good and evil then one talking guy in a suit.

AnimalMuppet 7y ago
My concern is that he politicizes things that should not be politicized - the Justice Department, for instance. The damage from the precedent will survive after Trump is gone. (Yes, I know, there was some politicizing of Justice before Trump. There probably always has been. And there was the IRS business under Obama. But it seems to be much worse - or at least much more public - under Trump.)
bayesian_horse 7y ago
You underestimate the damage he already has done. The federal administration has been gutted by employees fleeing, getting fired and not replaced. He raised ethnic violence in the US. He damages international alliances. He gave North Korea and Iran time to do their stuff. He enshrined the current Middle-Eastern "no-peace" process. If he gets a second term, he will change the supreme court for the next two or three generations, enabling the GOP to rule over a majority. Banning abortion is a major setback to equal rights for women. Under Trump, there is no progress on ethnic or gender equalities. Given the time, he will turn back any progress on health insurance. He already messed up the response to several Hurricanes, set Iran on a path towards nuclear weapons (and a near-certain war with Israel), and is at least two months late in responding to Covid-19. Maybe you think he can't mess up much more because he has messed up so much already that there isn't much left. I believe you are mistaken!
Mountain_Skies 7y ago
Being obsessed with Trump gives the luxury of turning off one's brain while discussing politics, which is pretty much a requirement for anyone who is a partisan. All one needs to know is "Trump BAD!" or "Trump GOOD!" to play the game of contemporary politics. Having a nuanced view on anything without it first being filtered through the lens of Trump is unacceptable in the world of partisans. It sure makes deciding issues much easier since all one has to do is find out the concession for their side and stick to it because to not do so is to be on the wrong side of Trump (the only issue that counts for the modern partisan).
- bayesian_horse 7y ago
  I'd say Trump is objectively in the wrong about many issues, including Covid-19. He is - objectively - lying all the time. Then he is on the minority side of major political issues, like abortion, health insurance, immigration, corruption and so on. He is also working with the GOP to decrease voter participation, which should be hard to defend for any "non-partisan" who is interested in democracy. On the basis of these facts, to have your extreme view on "everything is partisan", even reality itself is partisan now. Even calling the president out on his lies, even if there is video footage of him contradicting himself is still partisan. Because the only non-partisan view would be "Trump is as good as Hillary might have been". As if Trump hadn't been proven to commit at least a dozen different crimes between his campaign and his presidential term...

AnimalMuppet 7y ago

My concern is that he politicizes things that should not be politicized - the Justice Department, for instance. The damage from the precedent will survive after Trump is gone. (Yes, I know, there was some politicizing of Justice before Trump. There probably always has been. And there was the IRS business under Obama. But it seems to be much worse - or at least much more public - under Trump.)

bayesian_horse 7y ago

You underestimate the damage he already has done. The federal administration has been gutted by employees fleeing, getting fired and not replaced. He raised ethnic violence in the US. He damages international alliances. He gave North Korea and Iran time to do their stuff. He enshrined the current Middle-Eastern "no-peace" process. If he gets a second term, he will change the supreme court for the next two or three generations, enabling the GOP to rule over a majority. Banning abortion is a major setback to equal rights for women. Under Trump, there is no progress on ethnic or gender equalities. Given the time, he will turn back any progress on health insurance. He already messed up the response to several Hurricanes, set Iran on a path towards nuclear weapons (and a near-certain war with Israel), and is at least two months late in responding to Covid-19. Maybe you think he can't mess up much more because he has messed up so much already that there isn't much left. I believe you are mistaken!

Mountain_Skies 7y ago

Being obsessed with Trump gives the luxury of turning off one's brain while discussing politics, which is pretty much a requirement for anyone who is a partisan. All one needs to know is "Trump BAD!" or "Trump GOOD!" to play the game of contemporary politics. Having a nuanced view on anything without it first being filtered through the lens of Trump is unacceptable in the world of partisans. It sure makes deciding issues much easier since all one has to do is find out the concession for their side and stick to it because to not do so is to be on the wrong side of Trump (the only issue that counts for the modern partisan).

bayesian_horse 7y ago
I'd say Trump is objectively in the wrong about many issues, including Covid-19. He is - objectively - lying all the time. Then he is on the minority side of major political issues, like abortion, health insurance, immigration, corruption and so on. He is also working with the GOP to decrease voter participation, which should be hard to defend for any "non-partisan" who is interested in democracy. On the basis of these facts, to have your extreme view on "everything is partisan", even reality itself is partisan now. Even calling the president out on his lies, even if there is video footage of him contradicting himself is still partisan. Because the only non-partisan view would be "Trump is as good as Hillary might have been". As if Trump hadn't been proven to commit at least a dozen different crimes between his campaign and his presidential term...